Heretofore in the use of a press or a machine tool having a bed for forming a workpiece, there have been employed specifically actuated workpiece gripper tools which are adapted for timed reciprocal movements made generally in a horizontal plane and with respect to a workpiece for positioning such workpiece upon the bed, retracting, and after a pressing operation or other machine tool operation, the gripper is adapted to again feed horizontally and to successively grip the workpiece and retract rearwardly lifting the workpiece from the press bed. Normally, in such transverse reciprocal movements of the gripper tool there is a vertical component involved for conveniently elevating the workpiece from the press bed on retraction thereof and for thereafter positioning the retracted workpiece in a predetermined vertical plane.